First Look: Coquito on East Seventh

The nightlife scene in the East Sixth and Seventh corridors continues to grow. Two big names in ATX – Sussie Ramirez, aka DJ Suxxy Puxxy, and Brian Almaraz, co-owner of Coconut Club and Community Garden – recently opened their new joint venture, Coquito, on 1407 E. Seventh.

“When I moved here, the best people I met and the best experiences that I had were here on East Sixth,” says Ramirez. After a brief stint in Vancouver studying animation, the Monterrey, Mexico, native moved to Austin to pursue a career in the music industry with notorious local DJ crew Peligrosa. 

“I just feel like Austin is perfect,” she raves. “It has the best of everything. You have a lot of opportunities to grow here that I don’t think necessarily exist in other parts of Texas. You are in Texas, but you’re not in the red part of Texas, you know?” 

Ramirez experienced that firsthand. When Peligrosa members Orion and Manny convinced her to become a DJ herself, her star as an artist ascended. She first linked up with Almaraz to open Cuatro Gato, a coffee shop and restaurant right next to Coconut Club in Austin’s Downtown Warehouse District. The space afforded Ramirez the opportunity to found her own Latin dance party, Perreo Club, which has since become a regional supernova of energy in the community. The collective’s popularity ultimately kept Ramirez from Cuatro Gato, but she held onto the idea for a multi-use venue even after the restaurant closed down – she knew the concept could “do well in a different circumstance because people found a place where they hear music that made it feel like home to them.”

After a long property search, Almaraz and Ramirez opened Coquito (named after the latter’s dog, Coco, as well as Coconut Club) right before SXSW. A coffee shop by day and bar/venue by night, the business has quickly become a popular hangout in the area, adding to new locations of beloved third spaces Cenote and Granny’s Tacos on the same block. The space itself is lush, with comfortable seating, front and back patios, and an already iconic DJ booth inside. 

Torta del Chavo with platanos and Coquito cold brew Credit: Haris Qureshi

Some of her favorites include the torta del chavo, a classic ham and cheese torta popularized by the late Mexican actor Chespirito on his El Chavo Del Ocho TV show, and the grilled cheese sandwich that comes with a honey chipotle dressing. The sandwich options also include pollo pepiada (a Venezuelan style of cooking chicken) and a torta cubana, along with sides like fried yuca or plantain chips. On Saturday and Sunday afternoons they have marisco (seafood) specials such as shrimp tostadas and seafood broth shots, which served as great hangover cures when I stopped by.

Ramirez, who headed up the coffee program at Cuatro Gato, partnered with critically acclaimed East Austin business Mercado Sin Nombre for the coffee beans at Coquito. “I’ve been a really big fan [of them] and Brian is as well,” she says. Their signature drink, the Loquito, happens to be a latte made with coquito, a popular Puerto Rican coconut cocktail. “Our bartender Dani won the competition for the best coquito in Texas,” Ramirez brags. 

Coquito’s casual food menu leans heavily into Latin American roots – certainly no surprise given that the ownership and most, if not all, of the staff is Latin American. “As a Mexican, I feel like sometimes I crave what I grew up eating in Mexico. But it’s like, you don’t want to go buy all the salsa at H-E-B. Sometimes you just want to stop somewhere and eat. So we have that type of stuff in here,” says Ramirez.

Though she admits that “you cannot talk to everybody or know everybody” in her ever-growing career, the entrepreneur aims to keep Coquito as a community-focused gathering spot. 

“If you have [building community] as a seed or the first part of your house, then if it’s strong enough,” she explains, “your house is not going to fall. You’re always going to have these people that are going to look for you and they’re going to look for what they know.” 

“I think everybody feels happier [here] because it’s like you don’t feel judged,” Ramirez continues. “I feel like it’s a safe space. It is what it is. I’m gay, I’m an immigrant, I always stand up for my culture. I feel like people can see that and relate to that so even though obviously it’s a business and we care about the business, I will always make sure that everybody feels welcome.”

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